I'm a big believer in anyone can sew. I'm trying to bring my girls up with the same attitude and encourage their creativity.

This week my youngest has Book Character Day at school - where they get to dress up as their favourite book character. She has chosen Tess the Turtle fairy - who wears just regular clothes (easy), a pair of fairy wings (what little girl doesn't have a pair!) and has a turtle....oh...

So - when my daughter asked if I could make her a turtle - I suggested she make her own! So she did!

Here's how:

First she drew her turtle on a piece of paper :

Then I got her to draw the head, tail and a leg separately for the pattern pieces.

She then cut the pattern pieces out:

Then chose some fabric and pinned the pieces on:

Her 6 year old hands are still a bit little for using dressmakers scissors easily - so at her request I cut the pieces out.

She had to work out that we needed a top and bottom for each part - and then enough pieces for 4 legs (or fins)

Next came choosing 2 buttons for the eyes:

And stitching them onto the top part of the head:

Now onto the machine stitching! The head , tail and 4 fins had to be pinned then stitched around the edges - leaving a gap for turning out and stuffing!

Turning out and stuffing was lots of fun!

All stuffed and ready for assembly!

Each piece then had to be pinned and stitched to the main body - but facing inwards:

Then the other main body part placed over the top and it all stitched together - leaving the all important gap for turning out and stuffing!

Finally - she turned her turtle right sides out and stuffed him!

(sorry for the blurring stuffing photos!)

Final step was to hand-stitch the opening closed.

And there you have it - one cuddly turtle, designed and made by Maya - age 6!!

Now he may not be a very conventional turtle - but he is Maya's - the fact that she could draw and make the pattern herself makes him all the more special!

Aside from the fabric cutting, and the hand stitching it up at the end, Maya basically made this turtle herself. The machine stitching she could do no problem - I just stepped in to help when she started getting tired (a 6 year old's attention span isn't too long!) .

What crafts have you done with your kids lately? Do you let your kids loose on your sewing machine?

Just to update - I asked Maya - and she tells me the turtle's name is Pearl!

One of the first tutorials I ever made (and still one of my most popular) was this one for little drawstring jewellery bags.

I'd just figured out how to make my patterns available in PDF format - so that's how I presented this one. However - I never posted the tutorial in full here on the blog. Now I know some people prefer to see the tutorials like this - rather than to download them, so I thought I'd post this one here so you have both options!

These bags are easy to make – and perfect for jewellery with their small individual pockets inside:

First you need to make your pattern. You need two circles – one large and one smaller. I used a serving dish and plate from the kitchen to draw around.– My larger circle is approx. 31cm (12”) in diameter, and the smaller is 22cm (8.5”) in diameter. This will make a finished bag around the size of the palm your hand – but you can make any size you choose!

Cut these two circles out of paper:

Then cut out your fabric.

One large circle of the outer fabric.

One large circle of the inner fabric

Two smaller circles of the inner fabric:

You will also need some thick plastic – a washed juice or milk bottle is fine – with a 10cm (4”) diameter circle cut from that (around mug size is good).

Then you need some ribbon or cord for the drawstring, and any trims you would like to add.

Take the outer large circle and fold into quarters. Place a pin on two edges about 3cm in from the edge.

Open the circle out, and make a button hole where each pin is. This will be where the drawstring cord or ribbon feeds through when you’re done!

Then place the two large circles, right sides together and pin around the edge.

I added a piping trim here, by pinning it between the two circles:

Then stitch all the way around the edges.

Now you need to snip a hole in the centre of the INNER fabric circle:

Then turn the circles right sides out, through the hole.

Repeat this process for the two inner circles:

Pin right sides together, stitch, snip the centre and turn right sides out.

Now place the large circle flat with the inner fabric facing up. Place the plastic circle in the centre over the hole you snipped, then place the smaller circle on top of that, with the hole facing down against the plastic.

Pin around the plastic circle to hold it in place:

Then stitch around the circle, feeling with your fingers as you go to keep your stitching even with the edge:

Next you need to stitch the pockets. Stitch straight lines from the centre circle – to the outer edge of the smaller circle. Stitch slightly over the edge to make it a little stronger.

I didn’t measure any of these pockets so they vary a little in size.

Now you need to stitch the casing for the drawstring. Stitch two rows of stitching all the way round the outside of the larger circle – one row on either side of the buttonholes you made earlier:

So now you can thread your ribbon or cord through the casing using a large safety pin:

You will need two lengths of ribbon or cord. Thread one all the way round and out one buttonhole, and the other round and out the second button hole – so you end up with something like this:

Here I threaded the ribbon through, then cut it to the length I wanted the bag to be able to open to. Two 50cm (19.75”) lengths would be good; I made this one a little longer.

To finish the edges off, take two small rectangles of the outer fabric (approx. 8 x 4cm (3.15 x 1.5”)). Fold each rectangle in half, right sides together and stitch down the sides, leaving the end open:

Then turn this mini ‘pocket’ right sides out, and insert the ends of the ribbon or cord into it. Fold the ends in and stitch across the top to secure in place:

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